This invention relates to improved multifunctional waste and recyclable materials compaction and handling apparatus.
The collection of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), as well as Institutional, Commercial and Industrial (ICI) waste has undergone a major transformation in the last 50 years. As more and more materials are separated form the waste stream and the quantities of waste generated have increased, particularly in North America, all types of specialized equipment have evolved. This, in combination with ever increasing budget constraints for municipalities, has created the opportunity to market a multifunctional collection vehicle that can handle the various collection methods as well as material types.
A typical prior art collection apparatus uses a hydraulic mechanism to compact the refuse into a storage container. Typically this container is mounted to the frame of a truck chassis and has a tailgate rotatably secured to the rear of the container. To remove the material from the container, the tailgate is rotated from a down locked position to an upper open position. The material is ejected from the container by either rotating the container from a lower loading position to an upper dumping position or by using a blade to push the material out of the opening created by the open tailgate.
In one version, the collection apparatus has the packing mechanism contained within the tailgate. The advantage of this system is that the mechanism can be made relatively large to be able to handle a wide variety of materials as well as achieve a high degree of compaction. The disadvantages of this arrangement are that more than one operator is required because of the walking distance from the cab to the hopper opening for manual collection and the requirement to move heavy containers to the compactor for emptying. Another disadvantage is that they typically have poor weight distribution because the packing mechanism, which is a large percentage of the overall weight, is located behind the rear axle.
Another typical configuration is a body that loads from the front of the chassis using arms to pick up containerized material. The container is rotated over the cab of the chassis to empty material into the loading hopper. The mechanism includes is a blade which pushes the material into the storage container. The advantage of these units is that one operator can empty containers and achieve a substantial payload. One disadvantage of this configuration is the access space required to hook onto the containers. Another disadvantage is that the substantial mechanism required to lift the containers over the cab is heavy and requires a large chassis to operate practically. A side effect of the mechanism handling the container is the damage to the containers and their lids.
Similar body configurations, with the packing mechanism mounted above the chassis frame to compact material to the rear storage container, have side mounted equipment to lift and rotate containers to empty the contents into the charging hopper. The advantage of this type of equipment is that the automated collection of containers by one operator is very efficient. The disadvantage of these units is that the initial capital costs and the specialized and dedicated applications they are designed for limits their flexibility, including the size of containers that can be collected and types of material collected. In this type of unit the compaction mechanism can be either a push blade, a xe2x80x9cpendulumxe2x80x9d packer which rotates down and to the rear or a xe2x80x9cpaddlexe2x80x9d packer which moves the material to the rear storage container by sweeping from side to side in a rounded hopper.
A slightly different configuration, which also uses a packing blade to push material from the front charging hopper to the rear storage container, uses a drop frame to lower the packing mechanism to allow for manual collection. The advantage of this configuration is the capability for one operator to collect door to door manually, or, with the appropriate additional mechanism, semi-automated or automated carts. The disadvantage of these types of units is the requirement to modify the chassis frame. The relatively high loading height even with the drop frame, and the relatively small charging hopper limits the size of material that can be handled as well as the size of carts or containers that can be dumped.
In all of these configurations, the packing mechanism moves the material in one direction. The paddle packer, even though it moves in a rotary action from side to side, only moves the material to the into the storage container to the rear of the paddle and effectively acts like a single direction push blade. This operation in one direction is the simplest and most effective for many specialized applications but limits the versatility for multiple applications.
Except for the unit described with the packing mechanism in the tailgate, all of the other units require a chassis with a substantial wheelbase to accommodate the packing mechanism between the chassis cab and the storage container. The long wheelbase, which limits the units manoeuverability, restricts these units from certain tight areas and slows the collection process in areas where turns cannot be achieved without backing up.
Other units on the market have loading hoppers on the side which also act as the compacting mechanism. The advantage of these units is that they overcome the turning radius problems and versatility constraints of the aforementioned configurations but have limited compaction capability. The large loading/packing mechanism allows for collection of virtually any size or type material in the MSW and ICI streams, but the length of the packing mechanism and the packing motion from side to side, limits the payload for some materials.
There are several issues beyond the personnel requirements and route planning that affect the operational efficiency of a collection program. As traffic becomes more and more abundant in many municipalities, the turn around time to dispose of the waste and return to the collection route increases. Also, the distance required to travel to landfills is increasing as old landfills are filled and new landfills are located further from the urban areas. Another important issue is the separation of material for recycling. Many of the aforementioned units can collect some separated materials but have difficulty or practically cannot collect a complete range of materials. As previously mentioned, the collection operation must be done in spite of ever increasing budget constraints on parks, municipalities and regional districts.
In view of the aforementioned problems, it would be desirable if a refuse compaction and handling apparatus could be provided which would overcome the above disadvantages while retaining as many of the advantages as possible. A collection body that could be installed one a wide variety of chassis including single rear axles as well as larger tandems, would provide a cost efficient solution for a range of collection requirements. A collection body that could collect material in three different ways, i.e., manually, or using semi-automated or automated carts, as well as large containers for recycling and ICI collection, would provide the utility required by smaller operations and the efficiency required for larger operations. In addition, it would be desirable to provide a compaction apparatus that could collect bulky recyclables like old corrugated cardboard in addition to MSW and ICI waste.
In addition, it would be desirable to provide a refuse compacting apparatus that would balance the load between the front and rear axles to optimize the chassis capability and allow for the purchase of the least expensive chassis for a desired payload.
In an effort to provide a solution to the aforementioned problems, the present invention provides a refuse/recyclable materials compaction and handling apparatus which is versatile in both the types of collection that can be achieved. The types of material that can be collected, as well as the types of chassis that the storage container/compaction apparatus can be mounted on. Accordingly, the refuse/recyclables compaction and handling apparatus of the invention addresses the complex and often contradictory demands of collecting manually as well as with containerization, mixed waste as well as source separated materials and payload optimization on various chassis configurations.
Accordingly the invention provides a waste and recyclables material compaction and handling apparatus including a storage container for said materials. An elongated charging hopper is defined adjacent to and alongside said storage container for receiver the materials, said charging hopper having open end portions defining pathways leading into the interior of said storage container. A packing head is mounted for travel within and along said charging hopper between said open end portions and at least one driver is connected to said packing head to effect the travel thereof along said charging hopper between positions adjacent said open end portions. Said packing head has opposed picking faces adapted to engage the materials placed in said charging hopper. As said packing head is driven along said charging hopper, said materials are compacted and forced along the charging hopper and, depending on the direction of travel of said packing head, through one or the other of said pathways defined by said charging hopper open end portions and thence into the interior of the storage container.
In a preferred form of the invention the packing head is mounted for travel along an elongated support assembly extending lengthwise of said charging hopper. Furthermore said at least one driver preferably comprises at least one hydraulic packing cylinder extending lengthwise of said charging hopper.
In a preferred embodiment said support assembly and said at least one hydraulic cylinder extend along a side portion of said charging hopper, said charging hopper being located along a lower portion of said storage container. Preferably a pair of said hydraulic packing cylinders is provided, each being adapted for moving the packing head in a respective one of rearward and forward directions of travel.
According to a further preferred feature said storage container includes wall portions contoured to assist in movement of the materials being compressed by said packing head through said open end portions and into and within the interior of the storage container. Desirably, said wall portions comprise a frontal contoured end section and a rear contoured end section of said storage container both shaped to facilitate said movement of the materials into and within said storage container. A further preferred feature is that said rear end section is hinged to provide a tailgate which can be opened to permit the contents of the storage container to be dumped. Pivotal connections for securing the compaction and handling apparatus to the chassis of a transport vehicle are typically provided along with mechanisms for opening and closing said tailgate in the course of a dumping procedure.
A further desirable feature includes a clean out panel mounted for pivotal movement within the storage container adjacent said frontal end section, and an actuator for pivoting said clean out panel to dislodge materials adjacent said frontal end section.
In a preferred form of the invention a loading hopper is mounted adjacent to and alongside said charging hopper for movement from a first lowered position to permit ready filling of the loading hopper to a second raised position above the charging hopper for dumping of materials into the charging hopper. Preferably said loading hopper has a retractable side wall which moves to enlarge the capacity of the loading hopper during filling and which partly closes during movement to the second raised position.
In operation, as the packing head moves back and forth within the charging hopper, the material is compacted into both the front and rear of the storage container. The preferred shape of the container allows the material to flow in all directions and fill the storage container to capacity.
As noted above, a support assembly is preferably provided to house one or more hydraulic cylinders which provide the motive force to cycle the packing head from the front to the rear of the charging hopper and back. The cylinder(s) provide sufficient pressure to the packing head to force the materials into the storage container through the openings at each end of the charging hopper. The size of the openings at the ends of the charging hopper may be adjustable to accommodate different materials.
As noted above, suitable means may be provided for loading material into the charging hopper. Although loading can be done manually directly into the charging hopper, this would not be practical for most applications. Therefore, means are preferably provided to accept materials from a lower loading position and to move the materials to a higher unloading position partially or completely inverted over the charging hopper.
One preferred such means as noted above is a loading hopper that is sized for the appropriate application. The hopper rotates from a lower loading position to a higher, partially or completely inverted dumping position. In the simplest configuration, this hopper has a fixed volume with a loading height appropriate to the application. In another configuration the loading hopper maybe provided with a retractable side wall that opens to accept a large quantity of material, and which retracts in cooperation with the storage container and charging hopper as it rotates from the lower loading position to the higher, unloading position. This configuration would be compatible for dumping containers with a fixed frame and a rotatable hopper. In an additional configuration, the loading hopper may be equipped with a means to unload carts or containers for semi-automated collection. The hopper may also be modified or eliminated completely and replaced with a means to dump carts or containers for automated collection.